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MadWorld

• By Patrick Shaw
• April 03, 2009 11:25 AM PST
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The Wii has earned itself a reputation as being a "kiddie console" thanks to its cutesy design and its library of family friendly titles. Gamers have lamented the lack of "hardcore" titles ever since the console debuted--well, their prayers have been answered with the release of MadWorld. But don't think for a moment that it's just a mindless gore-fest: MadWorld has the brains to go with the brawn. So read on for our review of this amazing title and take note because today is the day that the Wii stops being just a "kiddie console" and becomes a legitimate player in the "hardcore" gaming market.

THE VERDICT by Tae K. Kim When Pat first booted up MadWorld, the ensuing screams of chainsaw mayhem brought editors and staff members a-running from every corner of the building. Every single person in the office crammed into the test cube to watch the bloody spectacle and holy hell were we impressed. Dark, brutal and hilarious in just the right way, MadWorld is a title that has rocketed to the top of every staff member's must buy list. Don't let the fact that it's on a "kiddie console" fool you-this is one title every "hardcore" gamer needs to play, provided you're over eighteen years old, of course. Is it any wonder that it earned the coveted Game of the Month award in our May issue?

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READ: Murderfest: MadWorld's 26 Most Gruesome Kills

Nintendo's little white console sometimes gets a bad rap, usually by elitist game snobs who think anything that's not Call of Duty is beneath them. They label the Wii as being something only babies, grandparents, and the rest of the "casual gaming" lot can enjoy. MadWorld disembowels this small-minded Wii stereotype with its jaw dropping level of brutal violence that rivals just about everything out there from God of War to Manhunt. Its relentlessly gruesome nature and hardboiled Sin City-visuals makes it a game that perfectly fits the "mature" niche that the Wii has sorely been missing. Granted, the gore in MadWorld is presented in an over-the-top graphic novel way, but it's still quite shocking.

Don't get me wrong though -- MadWorld is more than just one of the bloodiest games ever made. It's a must-play action game that breathes new life into the festering Streets of Rage-style beat 'em up genre and has the potential to be this generation's Mortal Kombat. It definitely flies in the face of the Wii's family oriented vibe but it's a title that "hardcore" gamers should definitely embrace.

Nintendo Chainsaw Massacre

It's a rare occurrence that I'll play though a video game in its entirety and be anxious for those damn end credits to finish rolling so I can immediately jump back into the game. Being a game editor eliminates such luxuries as having the time to complete a game more than once, but with MadWorld I had a tough time ripping myself away from the black and white bloodbath on the TV.

I'm not exaggerating in the slightest bit when I say that my experience with playing MadWorld was not unlike playing the original Mortal Kombat for the first time: I was both shocked by the gruesome violence but I was also thoroughly sucked in. If you're someone who likes to have options when deciding how to kill enemies, you're going to enjoy MadWorld in a big way as the game even goes as far as encouraging creative mutilation. The chainsaw affixed to your hand in the game is only a fraction of the tools you can use to tear enemies to bits.

Improvising when causing bodily harm to enemies earns you points. You do this by stringing together a variety of torturous attacks. For example, you can sock an enemy in the face, then push a road sign through his skull, slam a garbage can on top of him, and finally turn him into ground beef by throwing him into a jet engine turbine. This is just one of hundreds of combinations you can complete when ripping enemies limb from limb.

The Running Madman

A lot of people have compared MadWorld to another carnage-rich Wii game, No More Heroes. I've played both games extensively, and I think MadWorld did a number of things better than NMH, which suffered from repetitive gameplay and sound effects that grate on your nerves. I'll admit that when I initially booted up MadWorld, I was impressed by both its art style and its viciousness, but I was also fearful that it would bombard me with mind-numbingly repetitive enemy encounters, something NMH was guilty of. Boy was I wrong.

One of the reasons MadWorld works so well as a reinvention of the old school beat 'em up genre previously ruled by games likeStreets of Rage and Double Dragon, is in the way all of its levels are structured. The immense murderscapes are designed like set pieces from Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic, The Running Man: they consist of the actual level itself where you're competing in a murderous game show, a bonus round, and a boss fight.

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